Grid section



June 22, 1954 w. SHAW ET AL 2,681,478

GRID SECTION Filed March 17, 1951 INVENTOR. M/Z/Qm Shaw Q OPA/EV Patented June 22, 1954 GRID SECTION William Shaw and Eliot B. MacLean, Saco, Maine,

and Theophile R. Gregoire, Lowell, Mass., assignors to Saco-Lowell Shops, Boston, Mass., a

corporation of Maine Application March 17, 1951, Serial No. 216,116

This invention relates in general to textile fiber preparation, and more particularly to a novel grid section for a picker apparatus used in the opening and cleaning of textile fibers.

In opening and cleaning textile fiber, it has been the practice for many years to use a picker including a revolving beater within a suitable enclosure to beat the textile fiber supplied by a feed device, such as a pair of rolls or a single roll and a pedal, downwardly over a series of transversely extending grid bars in order to remove the impurities therefrom, the theory of operation of such pickers being that the relatively heavy impurities will thus be beaten out of the fiber and will fall between the grid bars into a collection chamber while the cleaned textile fiber, being relatively light, will be carried over the grid bars by the air currents set up within the picker apparatus by the motion of the revolving beater. A relatively strong air current is then commonly employed to carry the cleaned fiber from the grid bar section of the picker and convey it from the picker apparatus to the next following fiber preparation apparatus.

We have found that in the usual picker apparatus, as above described, the relatively strong air currents used to convey the textile fiber from the grid bar section of the picker apparatus for themost part pass inwardly and upwardly between the grid bars, in the opposite direction to the desired direction of travel of the impurities removed from the fiber, thus greatly reducing the removal of such impurities, particularly in the case of relatively light impurities which tend to travel with the air currents conveying the fiber.

We have further found that the arrangement of the grid bars in such an apparatus is extremely critical if the most advantageous cleaning action is to be secured, since not only does the setting of the grid bars affect the cleaning of the textile fibers by physical contact with both the fibers and the impurities to be removed therefrom, but the setting of the grid bars further has a great efifect on the direction and strength of the air currents in the apparatus and thus upon the removal of relatively light impurities from the fiber.

The proper setting of the grid bars, further more, is dependent upon the particular nature of the fibers to be opened and cleaned, for instance, the optimum setting for short fibers will be difierent from that for long, and the setting will vary for different types of fibers. Thus the grid bar settings of a picker should preferably be adjusted for optimum cleaning of each type of fiber, and as a practical matter, it is further desirable that such adjustments be easy and quick to efiect.

2 Claims. (Cl. 19-95) It is a primary object of our invention to construct a novel picker grid section in which the conveying and other air currents are controlled to greatly reduce the flow of air inwardly between the grid bars, and thus more completely to clean the fibers, particularly of the relatively light impurities, since such impurities will then pass downwardly between the grid bars into the collection chamber instead of being carried along with the fibers by air currents.

It is a further object of our invention to construct a novel picker grid section in which the setting of the grid bars is such as to physically contact in the optimum manner the fibers to be cleaned in order to more completely beat out the impurities from such fibers.

It is a feature of the picker-beater grid section of our invention that the setting of each grid bar as well as the setting of other parts which afiect the cleaning of the fiber is easily adjustable so that the entire apparatus may be easily and quickly adjusted in accordance with the particular nature of the fiber to be opened and cleaned.

It is a further feature of our invention that it is adapted to be used on nearly any picker-beater of conventional type, thus it is not necessary to construct entirely new apparatus in order to take advantage of the improved cleaning action of the picker-grid section of our invention.

Further objects and features of our invention will be pointed out by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment of our invention, when taken in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic cross-sec tional elevation of the novel picker-grid section of our invention, showing it in connection with a conventional picker;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of certain parts of the picker-grid section of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of certain other parts of the picker-grid section of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the picker includes a frame 50 on which is rotatably mounted a beater E2 in suitable bearings, said beater being adapted to be driven by any suitable means not shown. A suitable enclosure is preferably provided surrounding the beater l2, as is well known in the art. The beater 12, though illustrated as a pin beater having three beater arms, may be any other suitable form of beater, for instance, a blade beater may be desirable in some-circumstances. A beater feeding device including a suitably driven feed roll 14 and a pedal I6 may be used to feed the cotton fiber to the beater l2.

In accordance with our invention we provide a grid section including ,a plurality of grid bars l8 of generally triangular cross-section mounted on frame ill with their active edges generally concentric with the path of travel of beater l2 and closely adjacent thereto, said d section bein mounted relatively closely adjacent the feeding means below the feed means in the direction of travel of the beater blade (clockwise in the drawing). lChe longitudinal axes of the grid bars extend generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the beater feeding means for a part of the path of travel of the beater, said path being somewhat less than 90 and preferably between 30 and. 60 as measured around the grid section from the first grid bar 48 around the path of travel of said beater. grid bars are thus in a curved plane con-centric with the path of travel of beater it.

In order to permit adjustment of the grid section, each grid bar is mounted in adjustably fixed position so that it may be adjusted about its longitudinal as well. as radially of the heater and the curved plane formed by the active edges of the grid, bars. mounting means, best shown in 2, comprises a pair of brackets 2i on each end. of a grid bar and having a. hole 22 for receiving the stub shafts 2 2 on each of the ends of a grid bar 553. The brackets 25 are further provided with slots 26 extending from said holes 22 through one side of said brackets. Set screws 23 are provided in said brackets 20 to permit the sides of said brackets 28 on opposed sides of the slots 26 to be moved toward one another so that stub shafts may be securely clamped in holes 22. The brackets mounted tracks 3 3 on a pair of check members 32 on opposite sides of frame it, said tracks extending generally radially of the axis of rotation of the beater. Set screws 34 are provided extending through holes 36 in said brackets and slots 33 at the bottom of tracks 3 in said cheek members to permit clamping the brackets 26 to the cheek members 32.

The cheek members 32 are adjustably mounted on opposite sides of frame it to support the grid bars extending generally between said cheeks by means of cheek mounting elements it, said cheek mounting elements including in general two portions which slide at right angles to one another, the outer portions &2 sliding in tracks id on cheelrs 32 and the inner portions it sliding on tracks is on outer portions d2, thus providing a universal adjustment of s id cheek members in a plane corresponding to the side of frame in of the picker. The inner portions it are provided with holes 553 to receive set screws 52 by means The active edges of said 23 are of which inner portions 4% may be clamped to the frame it and simultaneously clamp inner portions :35 to the outer portions in, the latter being thus clamped to the cheek members 32. We prefer that two of said cheek mounting elements ill be provided on each cheek to enable suitably rigid mounting for each cheek 32 on the frame it of the picker.

A baffle plate forming a part of said grid section is mounted in adjustably fixed position on cheeks 32 and extends between said cheeks closel adjacent the path of travel of beater l2 and closely behind the last grid bar [8. The plate 56 is provided with stub shafts 56 on opposite sides thereof and is preferably mounted by meansof a pair of brackets 29 as hereinbefore described in order to permit rotational as well as radial adjustment of said plate. We prefer that said bafile plate 54 have generally the form of a curved plane concentric with the path of travel of the beater l2. V

A bottom plate 60 also forming a part of said grid section preferably mounted on cheeks 32 and extending therebetween behind the baffle plate 54 and spaced from said baffle plateextends in the direction of travel of the beat-er I2 toward the output end of said beater and preferably contacts the surface 62 forming the bottom of the air conveyor trunk leading from the picker. The plate 66 may be adjustably mounted in fixed position on cheeks 3-2 by means of brackets as and set screws 55 so that the end of the bottom plate '69 which contacts the trunl: 62 may be raised or lowered to engage the bottom of trunk 62.

In the operation of our novel grid bar section. the fiber to be opened and cleaned is fed by said feed roll lid (rotating clockwise as shown in the drawing) to beater l2. Beater 12 then beats the fiber downwardly over grid bars it, said grid bars serving physically to contact the fiber and dislodge the impurities therefrom. The freed impurities are then thrown by centrifugal force through the space between the grid bars 58 while the light cleaned fiber is carried over the surface of said grid bars by air currents set upby the rotation of the beater. The air current set up bythe beater over baiile plate E l is relatively low in velocity, but serves to carry the fiber into the relatively strong air current emerging through the slot provided between baffle plate 54 and bottom plate cs, said slot being nearer to the output trunk 52 than are the spaces between the grid bars 55 thus providing a shorter and easier passage for the conveying air current than be tween grid bars to. The air currents which tend to pass inwardly between grid bars it will thus be limited to r latively low velocities and will not prevent the light impurities which have been beat out of the fiber from falling downwardly between the grid bars into the collection chamber.

The individual adjustment of grid bars iii as Well asplate 554 permits rotation of the grid bars and the baffle plate 5d about their longitudinal axes as. well as movement ofeach of said grid bars radially of the path of travel of the beater [-2. Thus the apparatus may be quickly and easily adjusted for optimum cleaning of the particular fiber to be opened and cleaned. In practice, :the first grid bar can be set furthest from :the path of travel of beater l2 and each succeeding grid bar set closer to the path of travel of the beater in order to most effectively clean the fiber.

We have found that by far the greatest portion of the opening and cleaning of textile fibers takes place in the first portion of the grid section immediately followingthe input end thereof at the roll id andpedal l5 and have thus in effect eliminated all but the first few grid bars, providing a baffle plate fi l following and closely aoll'a cent to the last grid bar in place of the eliminated grid bars to control the air currents and thus the movement of the fiber. Bafile plate '54 serves the additional function of greatly limiting the air currents which pass inwardly between the grid bars and which would otherwise prevent the finer impurities from being thrown out, since a slot is provided between the b aille plate 54 and the bottom plate t0 through which the major portion of the conveying air may flow. The CODflbination of plate 55 and the slot provided behind said plate thus controls the air currents which impurities by providing a relatively unrestricted path for the major portion of the conveying air. At the same time the relatively few grid bars l8 provide cleaning equal to that of a much larger number of grid bars, since they are situated in the first 30 to 60 of the path of travel of the fiber around the grid bar section of the beater and further provide improved removal of light impurities from the fiber due to the substantial reduction of the velocity of the air currents flowing inwardly between the grid bars, since such air currents have been largely diverted from the grid bars by the slot provided behind baffle plate 54'.

For complete adjustability We prefer to mount cheeks 32 as hereinbefore described so that the grid bars as well as baflle plate 54 may be moved as a unit in any direction, thus permitting radial as well as circumferential adjustment of the unit. The bottom plate 60 is preferably also adjustable to provide a relatively close connection between the end of said plate and the conveying trunk 62 to prevent a slot therebetween and the consequent reduction in efficiency in the conveying air.

It will be thus seen that We have provided a novel picker-grid section in which increased control of air currents and complete adjustability of the grid bars provide a much improved cleaning and opening action on fibers, particularly in regard to the removal of light impurities from such fibers, and one which is easily added to existing pickers. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications of our invention may be made within the spirit thereof and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a picker apparatus having a rotatable beater, a grid bar assembly comprising a pair of spaced cheek members adapted to be mounted in the picker apparatus, a plurality of grid bars extending between said cheek members, individual opposed bracket means positioned on said cheek members, each of said means clamping and supporting an end portion of a grid bar for individual adjustable rotatable movement about its longitudinal axes, all of said bracket means being mounted on said cheek members for individual adjustable radial movement with respect to the path of travel of the beater, and means: for securing said bracket means in their adjusted positions.

2. In a picker apparatus having a rotatable beater, a grid bar assembly according to claim 1 further including adjustable means for mounting each of said cheek members in adjustable relation relative to the rotatable beater.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 307,118 Keene Oct. 28, 1884 929,533 Arnfield July 27, 1909 1,076,715 St. Onge Oct. 28, 1913 1,562,101 Lawton Nov. '7, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,444 Great Britain of 1914 

